A fun Christmassy belly breath to find calm in all…
Fun balancing challenge
If you’re looking for easy ways to get your children to start practising yoga at home, why not set them a fun balancing challenge?
A fun place to start is with Tree Pose.
Did you know that three year olds can’t stand on one foot? So they can just balance one of their heels against their ankle. Or even stand on their tiptoes.
As children get older their balance should increase. So start a balance challenge at home. Set a timer and see how long the kids can stand on one foot for.
When practising their tree pose they should always place their foot that is off the floor on either their calf (or after lots of practise) older children and adults can work towards their inner thigh.
NEVER put your foot against your knee when practising Tree pose.
Picking a point in front of them to look at really helps to steady their balance. It also increases their ability to focus. It’s called a drishti.
What is a Drishti?
Drishti or focused gaze, is a means for developing concentrated intention. The yogis amongst you will know that it relates to the fifth limb of yoga (pratyahara) concerning sense withdrawal, as well as the sixth limb dharana relating to concentration. You don’t need to know this. But older children love facts so this is a great one to share with them.
Awareness of breath also helps children to balance
Being able to focus on their breath can help children to focus and help them to balance.
By encouraging them to breath in deeply and to lengthen their exhale you can help them to calm down which in turn helps them to concentrate which helps their balance.
So why not try a balance challenge?
You could add a balancing challenge into something they do everyday such as brushing their teeth.
This helps strengthen their legs and their mind as they need to focus to be still. It also helps build confidence as they can improve over time.
I give children lots of tips on how to have fun with yoga in my live streamed classes.